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Understanding geolocation in mobile apps: How location based services in apps enhance their appeal?

Mobile technology is being upgraded constantly with each passing year and users are waiting to add new features in their mobile apps. We hear a lot about geolocation mobile apps these days. Well, geolocation is latest and advanced technology that helps in identifying the location of any device.

It is estimated that by the year 2019, there will be a huge demand for location based services. There are hundreds of location based apps that detect the location of user to provide the desired information based on their location. Geolocation is playing an important role in enhancing the features of travel and food delivery apps. Not only this, many social media apps access the location so that the user can check-in at the places with their family or friends.

Travel apps like Uber and Ola are based on geolocation so that they can take to your destination without worrying about the route. The best thing about geolocation based mobile apps is that the route with less traffic and travel time is considered to take users to their destination.

Location based apps have a huge potential as it helps in finding the location of device easily. But, do you know how geolocation in mobile apps works? In this post, I will help you understand geo location in mobile apps and how you can get benefitted?

What is geolocation in apps?

Geolocation in mobile apps is one of the best technologies today that estimates the real geographical location of your device that is connected to the internet. This technology opened gateway to innovative ideas that you couldn’t think of. The implementation of geolocation in apps enabled businesses to come up with the best marketing strategies.

Whether it is iOS or Android, smartphone or tablet – this technology helps in determining the exact location of the device. This technology is similar to what we call as GPS (Global Positioning system) with a slight difference. This technology uses cell site triangulation to detect the device.

This technology is used to set up communication between smart devices that has GPS. The ability to integrate geolocation in mobile apps has opened doors to new marketing strategies as well as changed the way how companies interact with customers.

How it works?

Various location based mobile apps can be developed with the help of geolocation technology. Whether it is creating weather alert system, location based promotion or livestock tracker — one can easily track the behavior of person, object or vehicle. You can provide users with a real time results for the service they desire in their neighborhood.

Geolocation based mobile apps establish a seamless connection between the device and the satellite and gathers data in real time. The information helps in determining the behavior of moving object or person and can be used by companies to come up with new strategies. Different technologies like Wi-Fi, Geofencing, Cell ID, and GPS technologies are used in the process of gathering data.

Wi-Fi technology helps in determining the exact location of the device compared to other medium. It does either with the help of Receive a Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) or scans the frequently visited places of user on Wi-Fi network.

Geofencing technology helps in determining how close the device is to a specific place. It uses the GPS of device to estimate the same. It can also yield results about the indoor and outdoor presence of the device. There are 3 types of Geofencing triggers such as – dynamic, static and combined based on the position of the user with reference to a particular place.

The location of the device can also be determined with the help of cell towers of the mobile networks, in case the GPS server is down. Today, most of the smartphones come with built-in GPS to capture to capture the location sent through satellite, which is confirmed by 4 other satellites.

Where it is used currently?

Geolocation feature is used by a number of apps that require location data for different use cases. There are several app categories to include such as navigation, Google Maps, Waze etc. Apps in categories like – social media, weather forecast, on-demand services, fitness etc require geolocation services. Some of the areas where geolocation is currently used include – banking, insurance claiming, travel, on-demand services and food delivery.

Maps

Geolocation is implemented in apps that are based on maps and navigation. A number of apps with features similar to Navigation and Google Maps have been developed and a number of apps are still on their way.

Weather forecast

Apps like Yahoo Weather, Weather Underground, Weather Forecast, AccuWeather etc are based on geolocation technology and used to alert you about cold wave or rain in recent days. Geolocation technology helps in gathering information about weather in your area and provides accurate information for upcoming days or weeks in your area.

Location search

There are a number of apps that are used to search location or any particular venue. These apps are based on geolocation and stand as a testimony. If you want to search a cab, it will be made available at your door step within a matter of minutes. All this is made possible with geolocation technology.

How brands are using it for marketing purpose?

Many brands have discovered the power of geolocation technology. For them, it is meaningful to know where the customer is and what his likes/dislikes are. Today, every company has understanding of where their customers are. Geolocation based solutions help companies to give all the benefits their customers in the right time at the right place. Moreover, it ensures that the personal information of their customer is safe and secured.

Beacons

Brands are using geolocation technology for marketing purpose. Brands use beacons, which are small sensors used by retailers to see detailed picture of customers shop. The beacon platforms function through the mobile app to alert users when new content is uploaded. User will also receive notifications about the stock, deals and offers.

Predictive analysis

Predictive analysis is another method used by reputed brands like McDonald to predict user’s location or activity based on their previous actions. Phoenix is one of the popular brands that used predictive analysis to direct their customers to nearest store.

Geo-conquesting

This is a step ahead of Geofencing that lure consumers away from competition. A lot of brands geofenced their store locations as well as placed geofences near their competitor stores to incentivize buyers with better deals.

Weather based advertising

The data gather from weather forecast is a handy tool for advertising a host of different industries. GE and Quirkly are the two popular brands that used geolocation to attract customers. As a part of their marketing strategy, they send daily forecasts to the users via email and text. The weather alerts also include a promotional content and link to buy the products.

Geolocation based mobile apps offer tremendous benefits to businesses of all types. Geolocation has become a vital part of mobile apps and is changing the way companies communicate with their customers.

Want to include geolocation in your app for better marketing? Contact us today!

Rahul has been associated with the apps industry for more than 7 years now. He has seen the apps economy grow from its nascent days to a full fledged industry with its complete ecosystem as of today. His interest lies in pursuing and getting to know the best app development technologies, processes and platforms. He is truly an app enthusiast. In his free time he loves playing console games and reading history.

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Promatics is an ISO 9001:2008 certified offshore web and mobile application development company with a strong team of 100+ highly skilled IT experts delighting SMEs across USA, Europe and APAC. Our services and solutions help clients to achieve tangible business value and remain competitive in today’s evolving marketplaces.